


Some Other Title Entirely

by Severuslovesme



Category: Thursday Next - Jasper Fforde
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-20
Updated: 2007-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 08:30:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1641560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severuslovesme/pseuds/Severuslovesme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thursday Next sets out to catch a serial killer. Set immediately post First Among Sequels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Other Title Entirely

**Author's Note:**

> Written for omphale23

 

 

_But before I had even begun to sigh with relief, there was a thump as I landed on the ground, bounced twice and ended up inside the lines and the canopy, which billowed around me. I scrambled clear, released the harness, pulled out my phone and pressed the speed dial fro Bradshaw, running as fast as I could across the empty and undescribed land as the flaming hulk of the airship fell slowly and gracefully in the evening sky, the blackened skeleton of the stricken ship silhouetted dark against the orange fireball above it, an angry flaming mass that even now was beginning to spread to the fabric of the book, as the clouds and sky started to glow with the green iridescence of text before it spontaneously combusts._

"It's Thursday," I panted, running to get clear of the airship before it hit the ground, "and I think we've got a situation..."1

"I'll explain, but I need you to lift the textual sieve on _The Eyre Affair_ before an airship squashes me!"2

I kept running, though it seemed that the ship would hit about fifty feet behind me. Reaching for my Travel Book I willed Bradshaw to lift the sieve faster. The sooner I escaped _The Eyre Affair_ the better, as far as I was concerned. Finally it lifted and I jumped straight to Text Grand Central.

The Cheshire Cat and Thursday5 were both waiting with Bradshaw, and they swarmed me when I appeared. I leaned over, dizzy from the sudden jump. Breathing deeply, I stood up, not bothering to answer their overlapping questions.

"I want guards - and not Danverclones, get proper guards - for Hercule Poirot, Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, Georgia Nicolson and DEATH immediately."

Chesh nodded and vanished, leaving only Bradshaw and Thursday5 staring at me quizzically.

"What on earth is going on, Thursday?" Bradshaw finally asked.

"We've a serial killer on the loose," I replied, without preamble.

Thursday5 gasped and sat down in the chair next to the desk.   
"A ... serial killer?" Bradshaw was staring at me as though I'd just grown two extra heads. I nodded a confirmation.

"That's just ... what?" Thursday5 was still gaping at me.

"We need to take action immediately," said Bradshaw.

I put my head in my hands and sighed. The last thing Jurisfiction needed - the last thing I needed - right now was a serial killer.

"Yes, we do," I replied. There wasn't much else to say.

The Cheshire Cat popped back in. "I've got the Siberian guards from _The Golden Compass_ protecting the most popular serial characters. DEATH was a little reluctant but he saw sense eventually." The Cat flashed us a menacing smile.

The four of us stood in silence a moment, consumed by our own thoughts. At least, I was.   
Thursday5 sighed, and sighed again when no one responded.

"What is it," I asked, a little more sharply than I had intended.

"Well," she said, twirling her hair and looking at the ground. "Isambard Kingdom Bu-uel said I had better come along and askfind the ... the ..." she hesitated.

"Just spit it out," I commanded.

"He needs your input to rightsize the builderwork for your temperhome in _Lost in a Good Book_." She paused again. "At least, that's what I think he said."

I sighed. "All right, but tell him it won't be before tomorrow at the earliest."

Thursday5 nodded, smiling. "Of course. Do you need any help before I go back? It might be good practice - "

I cut her off. "Thank you, Thursday5, but Bradshaw and I can handle it from here." She nodded, a little disappointedly I thought, and jumped out.

I turned to the Colonel.

"We should go back to _The Eyre Affair_ and look for clues, before they're removed."

"Good idea. Chesh, you can handle things here?" The Cat nodded so we jumped back to my book.

The empty hull of the airship still laid smoking in the field. Bradshaw turned to me.

"I had them switch over to the second edition when you first called, to prevent any problems."

"Good thinking," I said, nodding. "At least now we don't have to worry about being read."

Though we scoured the remains of the ship and the surrounding field, we found nothing. We kept looking though, until Bradshaw got a call from the Cheshire Cat saying that the narrative had been returned to the first edition, and that we were about eight pages away from being read.

We jumped back to Text Grand Central and I called a meeting for the next day, to assign operatives to assist on this case.

I called Bowdon on my way home, letting him know that a situation at Jurisfiction would be taking up all of my time, for the next few days at least.

My footnoterphone rang as I walked in the door. Tossing my keys on the table I answered it. It was Bradshaw.3

"I couldn't agree more, Colonel. Has anything else happened?"4

"Tell her to buck up, that she can't let the side down, that kind of thing. It should work."5

"Good night, Bradshaw."

After walking into the kitchen I paged through the phone messages - Joffy asking me to appear at another GSD benefit as a celebrity guest, a note from Tuesday's math teacher requesting a conference and a call from my mother asking about Sunday dinner. I put them down on the counter again, deciding that they could wait until tomorrow. Or next week.

Pickwick plocked as I walked through the living room and I gave her a pat. I kissed Tuesday and Friday goodnight and shut Jenny's door, remembering that she was spending the night at a friends'.

Landen looked up from his book as I walked into our bedroom.

"I thought that was you. How was work?"

"Wretched," I replied, flopping onto the bed.

"Poor darling," he said, smiling.

"Don't mock me," I grumbled, burying my face in a pillow. "I've had a positively awful day, and some spousal support would be ideal."

"Cheer up, love. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."

"There's a serial killer on the loose in the Bookworld and everyone needs me for something else, meanwhile I've been nearly killed too many times in the past few days."   
Landen put his arm around me then, and I leaned into him.

"You'll sort it out. You always do."

I nodded against his chest. "Yeah, I do."

I do, I thought to myself. I do.

1 "What is it, old girl?"

2 "Right - ho, we'll have you out in a jiff."   
3 "Thursday, love, we've got to get this mess sorted out."

4 "There was an attempt on Mary Anne Spier's life earlier tonight, and she's most put out. She's insisting that she can't go on, that we must put a generic in her place."

5 "Will do, Thursday. Give my Landen my best."

 


End file.
